


Drunken confessions

by Zeena97



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Gay Zuko (Avatar), Hurt Zuko (Avatar), M/M, Minor Character Death, POV Sokka (Avatar), Past Jet/Zuko (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26249242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeena97/pseuds/Zeena97
Summary: Zuko and Sokka get drunk on Ember Island days before the comet. Zuko tells Sokka about his relationship with Jet, resulting in Zuko finding out about his death.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 79





	Drunken confessions

Sokka finds his way to Zuko's room in the old vacation house, when the sun is finally away and it is dark. One mission in his head, to have fun like a normal teenager.

He's wearing his little bottle with rum inside, that he has been carrying around since they were in Ba Sing Se.

„Hey Zuko. What's up?“ Sokka asks as he's entering the room. The other teenager seems confused by his presence.

„Uhm hi Sokka? Nothing. What do you want?“ He answers while straightening out his clothes.

„Okay, I know this sounds stupid, but in Ba Sing Se I bought watertribe rum from a shop and I never got to drink it. We have some free time and since you're the only one in the group who is old enough, I thought maybe we could drink together.“ Sokka explains, holding up the little bottle with his right hand.

Zuko smiles and walks to the other side of the room to his luggage. He's searching for something while the watertribe boy is watching him. „Only if we add some firenation liquor too.“ Zuko demands, holding up a big old bottle filled with clear liquid and a green one filled with red liquid. „I found it in this room, it was father's favourite.“ He explains holding up the clear one.

Sokka swallows and tries to delete the thought of the firelord having a drink while joking about innocent people who died under his commands.

„Great. Do you want to stay here or go somewhere else? Maybe the beach?“ Sokka asks a bit nervous.

„It's your plan. So it's up to you.“ Zuko simply says, shrugging.

„Okay let's go down to the beach.“ Sokka says, wearing a big goofy smile.

The two boys are walking silently next to eachother on their way to the shore. Each is holding alcohol of their nation.

„Should we start with my bottle?“ Sokka asks as they reach their planned spot.

Zuko sits down on the sand and lights up the log that's sitting there. „Sure.“ He says, seeming relaxed.

Sokka on the other hand is nervous. He never drank alcohol before. When his father left their village he wasn't old enough to drink with the men. When he was old enough, there was no one to drink with him.

Sokka opens up the bottle carefully and smells it. It smells exactly like it did back when he was a little boy around ten years old and wanted to sniff on his father's drink. He remembers the music nights they used to have to celebrate the seasons change. They stopped celebrating when the firenation took his mother.

Sokka takes a small sip, expecting the drink to taste similar to the smell. It does, only that it hurts like cough medicin when he swallows the sip. He tries not to show his disgust, but fails miserably.

Zuko chuckles and takes the bottle in his hand and also takes a sip. It's an optimistic big sip and ends up in him making the same face as Sokka just did. This time Sokka laughs at his friend's facial expression.

„I've never drank before.“ Sokka states when it's his time to drink again.

„I have. But never hard alcohol like this.“ Zuko explains. „Maybe we could play a drinking game.“ He adds, scratching his head.

„Do you know one?“ Sokka asks, a big smile appearing on his face.

„When I was at a party around here, they played a game called ‚Never have I ever'. You say something you've never done and everyone that has done that has to drink.“ The fireprince explains. „But I guess it's only funny if there's more than just 2 people.“ He adds.

„No it sounds like fun. Let's try it, I'll start.“ Sokka quickly says. He really wants to lose this awkwardness between them. It seems they always need to warm up to eachother everytime they speak.

„Never have I ever drank alcohol before.“ Sokka says, grinning. „So you have to drink, right?“ he asks.

„Correct.“ Zuko says before taking the bottle to drink.

„Maybe we should- hang on.“ Zuko stands and sprints up back to the building. Sokka is left to wonder where he went.

Zuko comes back after a minute with two glasses and a piece of wood in his hand. He places the wood in the sand so it's positioned horizontally and sets down the glasses and fills both up with the watertribe drink. Zuko quickly jugs down his glass and fills it back up.

„My turn" Zuko says, looking at Sokka. „Let's see.“ He says, trying to come up with something. „I've never peed in the snow"

„Oh come on!“ Sokka yells and drinks his glass.

„Oh wait" Zuko says and mirrors Sokka’s action. Sokka starts laughing.

„So you actually did do it before!“ he exclaims, pointing at Zuko.

„Well, it was ice, but I guess that still counts.“ Zuko wonders.

„Yes it does.“ Sokka agrees. He would never admit it in front of the other teen, but Sokka could feel his body reacting to the drink already.

This time Sokka pours 2 drinks. He is surprised to find that the bottle is already empty and is thankful for the other drinks waiting for them.

„I have never kicked a firebender in the face" Sokka says, waiting for a response, knowing he has to drink himself as a joke. Zuko drinks and so does Sokka.

„So we're just gonna say things we already did then?“ Zuko asks, raising one eyebrow.

„Well we're the same age there isn't a lot we don't have in common.“ Sokka explains. „I say it's our new rule.“

„Alright.“ Zuko agrees and takes the next bottle. He opens up the bottle with the dark liquid and pours 2 drinks, this time he fills up the glasses completely and not half like previously.

„It's wine, that one won't hurt as much down the throat.“ He explains when he catches Sokka's confused look. Sokka nods and waits for the next one.

„I have never had two hooks stuck in my thumb at once.“ Zuko says, wearing an evil smile, watching as Sokka rolls his eyes and drinks it in one big sip. The wine tastes sweet, almost like juice.

„I have never tried to capture the avatar.“ Sokka speaks up and watches Zuko try to hide his appearing embarassed smile. „And failed quite miserably at it, I might add.“ Sokka adds.

„I have never tried to hold back an entire ship of enemy soldiers with just a stick and a boomerang. And failed quite miserably at it.“ Zuko repeats Sokka’s words while pouring another 2 drinks. Sokka drinks and Zuko fills the glass again.

Sokka thinks back at the moment he first saw Zuko. He seems like a completely different person, although it's only been half a year since then.

„Okay. Never have I ever been scared my sister might kill me.“ Sokka continues looking at Zuko seriously. They grab the drink at the same time and break into a laugh after both finished their glass.

„Not literally, but Katara can be quite terrifying.“ Sokka says between bursts of laughter.

Zuko's laughter burns down. „Well Azula did try to kill me on multiple occations, let's not forget 3 days ago.“ Zuko frowns.

Sokka calms down again and gets a bit more serious. „Right, sorry buddy.“ He says honestly.

„Well I guess wanting to kill family members runs in the family.“ Zuko jokes, earning a concerned look from Sokka.

„Time to cheer up. Come on ask something stupid.“ Sokka tries to lighten up the mood again.

„I have never been in the spirit world?“ Zuko says, not coming up with anything else.

To Zuko's surprise Sokka drinks. „You have?“

„I got kidnapped by a spirit once. As a matter of fact, there are no toilets in the spirit world.“ Sokka explains holding up his index finger. „But I don't remember anything.“ He adds.

Sokka fills up his glass again. „I have never had a girlfriend from the firenation.“ Sokka says next.

Zuko drinks and rolls his eyes.

„Was Mai your only girlfriend?“ Sokka asks, having lost all his shyness around Zuko.

„Yes. What about you? Is Suki your second girlfriend after the moongirl?“ Zuko asks trying to approach the topic softly, but not knowing what else to call Yue.

„Her name was Yue, she was my first girlfriend. But she also was engaged to someone else.“ Sokka starts, earning a shocked expression by Zuko. „She gave her life to the moon spirit when Zhao attacked Tui and La.“ Sokka says trying not to show his everlasting grief.

„Suki however was the first girl I ever kissed.“ Sokka explains thinking about his ex girlfriend.

„Well I have had a few dates in Ba Sing Se, if you can put it that way.“ Zuko says, trying to break the tension.

„Nice.“ Sokka answers. „Ok, my turn. Never have I ever had sex.“ Sokka admits, wanting to find out more about Zuko, sho seems to hesitate.

Zuko finally says something. „You do realise it was my turn right?“ Both boys laugh, the alcohol slowly starting to show it's effect.

Zuko then drinks his drink and turns to Sokka. „I thought you and Suki? I mean the day before yesterday after I talked to you I thought you would, you know?“ he explains.

Sokka takes a deep breath, sighs and lies on his back. „I know I thought so, too.“ He hesitates before continuing. „Suki and I kinda broke up. She likes someone else. Not particularly someone, but generelly not me it turns out.“ He admits with a heavy heart.

„I'm sorry to hear that. It must be hard for you.“ Zuko says silently. He lies down next to Sokka, both boys feeling their visions spin.

„I also got dumped once.“ Zuko explains.

„Really?“ Sokka asks. He is turned to Zuko sitting up on his elbow.

„Yeah. When I came to Ba Sing Se, I met someone.“ Zuko starts. „We kinda dated for a while until they found out I was fire nation.“ He continues.

„How did she find out?“ Sokka asks.

Zuko sqirms next to him, sutting up a little. He looks towards the ocean. „Actually he found out.“ He says slowly, closing his eyes, as if he's waiting for Sokka to say something mean.

„He? Who?“ Sokka asks, excepting to hear about a second person.

„Well he found out when my uncle heated his tea.“ Zuko adds. „We had been together for only a few days, it all happened pretty fast.“

Sokka kept wondering about who Zuko is talking about, until he finally realizes that Zuko probably is talking about only one person. „Wait, you dated a guy?“ Sokka blurts out.

„Uhm, yeah.“ Zuko says, seemingly uncomfortable. „You have a problem with it?“ he asks softly.

„Who? Me? Noo! No problem. We have those type of involvement at the water tribe, when two men lose their wives, they sometimes get together as a last resort. But only then.“ Sokka explains. „I just thought you were into girls, because of Mai.“

„Mai is great. And I love her, but not like that.“ Zuko explains. „Apart from that I could also like both.“

Sokka rubbs his eyes and drinks from the wine bottle. He is trying to understand Zuko. Sokka had never thought about liking men, of course there are men that Sokka finds beautiful, for example Zuko. But he wouldn't like like them, he only like likes girls, right?

„His name was Jet.“ Zuko's voice breaks the silence. Sokka gasps, choking on the wine in his mouth. Zuko must be talking about another Jet.

„He was also a refugee and we met on our way to the city. He came out of nowhere and wanted me to join his group.“ Zuko talks. „We stole food together to give to the hungry people. We spent so much time together and then he kissed me. From that on we had a really great time. Until-„ Zuko exhales. „Until he found out and started hating me. He stalked us and tried to call the police on us. One day he stormed our teashop and we fought with swords. He was taken by the Dai Li. I never saw him again, I even searched for him at this secret lake, where I found Appa.“

Sokka's mind is racing, he is in fact describing Jet.

„Wait you found Appa?“ he asks.

„Yes I found him in chains and let him free.“ Zuko explains. „Anyways I really liked Jet. I have never felt like when I was with him. He made me believe that a life in the earth kingdom was possible. If I wasn't from the fire nation we could still be together. When the war is over maybe, just maybe I can find him and maybe he can forgive me.“ Zuko stares at the waves from the ocean. „But if he never found out I probably wouldn't be here. And I kinda like someone else now.“

Sokka is still shocked by the new information about Zuko and Jet. He remembers how he hated Jet, how he made Sokka's blood boil whenever he was wearing that stupid smile. But when he thinks of Jet now, he thinks about how he got hit by that stone and how he was lying there, attempting to cheer everyone up when he knew he wouldn’t make it. Zuko must have been there just minutes before, they could have seen eachother one last time.

Sokka knows what he has to do. „I knew Jet too. Katara was into him. He turned crazy and tried to kill a bunch of firenation citizens. We met him again in Ba Sing Se, too. He helped us find Appa" Sokka explains, dreading the next part.

„You know him? That's so crazy! If you met him in Ba Sing Se it means he got away from the Dai Li.“ Zuko exclaims, smiling.

Sokka's throat goes dry and he takes another sip from the wine and clears his throat. „Um Zuko I should probably tell you something.“ He has no idea how he should say it, but he can’t pretend Jet is alive, when he's not.

„Don't say something like that and then let me wait. Tell me already!“ Zuko urges.

„Jet helped us. And we got into a fight with the Dai Li. Jet got hit pretty hard.“ Sokka dares to look at Zuko, who's still holding a glimpse of hope in his eyes.

„We think he didn't make it. I'm sorry Zuko.“ Sokka says slowly.

„You think? You're not sure?“ Zuko asks simply.

„When we left he was still alive, but there's no way he could have survived with his injuries.“ Sokka answers.

„Oh ok.“ Is all that Zuko says after that.

It seems like Zuko is actually isn't too crushed by the news. It is silent for a few seconds, maybe minutes.

Finally Sokka can hear a silent „Fuck" continued by sobs from Zuko.

„I'm just gonna take a walk.“ Zuko manages to make it sound like he's totally fine and isn't gonna burst into tears any second. It makes Sokka wonder if Zuko has ever openly cried in front of anyone.

Zuko stands up and walks a few meters before Sokka hears sobs again, and Zuko struggling to keep it down. Sokka also stands up and walks over to Zuko and gently lays his hand on his shoulder, resulting in Zuko finally letting out cries.

Sokka feels bad for his friend, he wants him to be happy, he wishes he had never told him the truth. Sokka walks a bit closer and stands to face Zuko, before pulling him into a hug. Zuko tenses up and stays stiff for a moment, but wraps his arms around Sokka soon. He holds on tight, while his entire body moves with violent sobs.

„I'm sorry, this is stupid. I didn't even know him that well and he hated me anyways and-" Zuko talks into Sokka's shoulder.

Sokka cuts him off by whispering. „It's okay. I understand.“

He's holding Zuko's weight in his arms, as Zuko is leaning completely onto him. The two stand like this for minutes until Zuko finalls calms down.

When they pull apart, both boys have tears on their faces, but none is embarassed for it for once.

„Thanks for telling me.“ Zuko says, his voice breaking. „I think I wanna get drunk and talk about something else.“ Zuko adds.

„That's a bad idea. I like it!“ Sokka smiles and takes Zuko's hand to lead him back to the died down firepit. Sokka doesn't let go of Zuko's hand, even as they reach the firepit. They sit down and Sokka finally lets go.

„Oh no, the precious wine!“ Sokka calls out when he spots the fallen winebottle, drenching the light sand with red liquid.

Zuko laughs at Sokka's reaction, like the last 10 minutes hadn't happened.

„We still have this. Don't worry Sokka.“ He says holding up the last bottle they have. The two boys talk about funnier topics like when Zuko got bitten by a turtleduck or when Sokka first flew on Appa. In between they enjoy the short breaks filled with comfortable silence.

The silence is lasting longer than the breaks before and Sokka notices Zuko's even breathing and realizes he must be asleep, he closes his eyes as well and enjoys the warms he feels on his arm from where he's touching Zuko's arm.


End file.
